Celeste Taylor talks her season-high 20 points and going through the Senior Day highlights again.
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00:00 >> Yeah, I mean, my teammates respond to me, the finding me when I'm open and
00:04 just being confident and shooting the ball.
00:06 Like I said before, I work really hard on my jump shot and my shot,
00:10 just with my teammates always competing in practice.
00:13 So just being able to get it off and get the scoring started early for us so
00:17 that we can come back and play some good defense to keep it rolling on offense.
00:23 >> Can you talk about also playing with the emotions of senior day,
00:26 your dad's here, you're celebrating your career,
00:28 and then have to go right into a game.
00:30 How can you explain that process, how you feel doing it?
00:32 >> Yeah, I kind of got a head start because last year,
00:36 it was supposed to be my last year last year.
00:38 But I think it's just a proud moment.
00:41 Sometimes it's hard to sit back and reflect on everything and my whole journey.
00:46 And so I think more than anything, just being proud.
00:49 And then I love playing basketball and it's what I like to do.
00:53 And so just being focused on the game plan, we still got a lot more ways to go.
00:57 And so just trying to stay focused and not really think too deep into the past
01:01 roads or the future roads, but trying to stay focused on the present moment.
01:04 >> You also talk about more games coming up.
01:06 Today though, you clinched number one seed in the conference tournament.
01:08 You also now have at least a share of the regular season title.
01:12 Can you kind of explain how you feel about this?
01:14 >> Yeah, I mean, it's pretty cool.
01:16 But we still got two more games left that we wanna outright win it.
01:22 So we just trying to stay focused, but I mean, it's pretty cool right now.
01:25 And we honestly didn't talk about it, but I think it's just getting back into
01:29 the gym, working in practice and getting ready to be a team that we honestly have
01:33 our loss to in the conference.
01:35 >> Like you mentioned, there's still so much basketball to be played.
01:37 But what is the legacy, you think, of the senior class?
01:40 >> I think it's really big, honestly, from all walks of life, honestly.
01:44 It's really cool to see we have Bex, we have Carla.
01:48 JC's been here for four years, and we got a couple of transfers in.
01:51 Ricky's been here.
01:51 So it's pretty cool to have that diversity of experience from all around
01:56 international to the states.
01:58 And so I think it's pretty cool.
02:00 And then honestly, before I got here,
02:02 these girls have given their hearts to this program, and they made a change.
02:06 And so the only thing I hope to do is come in and make an impact as well with them.
02:10 So it's pretty cool to share this group with these girls.
02:13 They're really special to me, and they're gonna be my sisters forever.
02:17 >> You got within five at the end of the third.
02:21 Can you talk about how fourth went?
02:23 >> Yeah, I mean, they just came back, they fought, they're a tough team.
02:29 They're not like any other team in the conference, honestly.
02:32 So they're definitely hard-nosed, they get after it.
02:35 So I think fourth, us just staying level-headed, sticking to what we know,
02:39 sticking to the game plan, and just going out there and executing it.
02:43 >> Can you talk about the atmosphere today?
02:44 And you guys felt like it's all a crowd problem, but
02:48 it's no longer like Caitlin Clark's coming.
02:50 It's no longer, excuse us, it seems like this crowd is coming out for Ohio State.
02:53 >> Yeah, I mean, just to have an environment like this, I mean,
02:56 it's amazing, especially for girls basketball.
02:58 I mean, I'm sure since these girls were freshmen here, it wasn't packed like this.
03:02 And I think it's just credit to how much work that they put in and
03:05 what they've been able to accomplish throughout the year, and
03:07 the years that they've been here.
03:08 So it's exciting to be a part of it later down the road for them.
03:13 But it's a great environment.
03:16 I love playing in the shot.
03:17 It's probably one of my favorite places that I've played at in college.
03:20 So I really enjoyed it.
03:22 >> So as you mentioned the experience you guys had,
03:25 you've been on a couple different teams now.
03:28 When you struggle early, you lose USC, you lose UCLA, and like you said,
03:32 you lost to Michigan, you haven't lost in 2024.
03:35 How important was that experience to help you guys get over those humps and
03:38 not kind of fall backward after that loss to Michigan?
03:41 >> Yeah, I mean, it was really important for us.
03:44 We didn't gel the way we wanted to in the beginning of the season, but
03:46 obviously that takes growth.
03:47 We had a lot of new pieces.
03:48 We were just trying to piece things together.
03:50 And so just learning from those experiences of those losses, but
03:52 we learned throughout the season that what makes a really great team is learning from
03:56 wins, so just continuing to get better and continuing to compete.
04:00 Those losses did hit us hard and
04:01 we didn't wanna feel like that again after those losses.
04:04 So we're just keeping our head down in practice and trying to work.
04:07 >> You said you guys didn't gel earlier.
04:08 Obviously, new pieces, you're trying to put everything together.
04:10 But were there moments early on where you were like, this could be special,
04:13 this could be what it is right now?
04:15 >> For sure.
04:15 We definitely knew that we had really good skill players, very versatile.
04:19 So we knew that we had a good team out there, but
04:22 it's all about piecing it all together.
04:24 And so obviously in the beginning of the season,
04:26 everybody struggles trying to piece in their new plays.
04:28 The coaches are trying to figure things out as well.
04:30 So just trying to gel together and mold together,
04:34 which I feel like we're doing a really good job of right now.
04:36 Obviously, it's a struggle in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it,
04:39 and once we started to get the hang of it, I think it's helped us out tremendously.
04:43 >> Kind of seems like the Big Ten season is about to come full circle,
04:46 facing Michigan, the only team we've lost to.
04:48 How badly do you wanna pick up that win and kind of avenge that first loss?
04:51 >> Yeah, for sure.
04:52 I mean, we go after every team, honestly.
04:54 We wanna win every game.
04:55 And so I think it's important to just focus on that next matchup,
04:59 which is Michigan at the moment.
05:00 And it's gonna be our real last home game.
05:03 So it's gonna be definitely for sure fun.
05:05 And so we just gotta work on the things that we weren't good at.
05:08 We're not the same team that we were when we played them the first time, and
05:11 I'm sure they're not either.
05:12 And so we're just gonna have to go out there and
05:14 compete like we do every other night.
05:15 >> And personally, where do you feel like you've improved the most since that game?
05:19 >> I think just consistency, just finding my teammates,
05:21 being around my teammates more, learning where they like to catch the ball,
05:25 learning where I need to be when they're in certain spots.
05:28 Just regular basketball stuff.
05:31 >> Celeste, you are a vet, but this is your first year in the program, obviously.
05:34 You played Michigan already, but we didn't get a chance to talk to you last time.
05:37 What does the rivalry mean, Ohio State versus Michigan?
05:40 And how have you experienced, how have you seen the culture difference?
05:43 >> Yeah, I've been a part of some really cool rivalries, honestly,
05:46 in my years of college basketball.
05:48 But this one is definitely different.
05:49 It's from when we went in there and played them in Ann Arbor to now them coming
05:55 down here, it means a lot more, especially to the program, to the school,
05:59 to the university.
06:00 And so just I think understanding those rivalries is important for us athletes,
06:04 because you just know how bad you want it as a school and as a program.
06:09 And just all the people before us, the legacy that they have left and
06:13 the legacy of the rivalry is definitely for sure cool.
06:15 >> And just another question about today's game.
06:17 It seemed like Bree and Brunette were both cooking a lot,
06:21 especially in the second half.
06:22 What was your game plan in stopping them, especially in the press?
06:25 >> Yeah, I mean, honestly, we called up the press a little bit towards the end.
06:28 But it was just helping each other, playing our defense that we know how to
06:31 play and just trying to be in the gaps for each other and
06:34 trying to help each other out slowly.
06:36 >> In the second half, it seemed like you often slowed down in the third quarter.
06:40 You're trying to take out more of the clock.
06:41 Do you feel like you'll play better whenever you're able to go faster,
06:45 take shots earlier in the shot clock?
06:47 >> I don't know if we necessarily play better.
06:49 I think it's all about execution.
06:51 So we're definitely just trying to get the best shot that we can,
06:53 whether it be that we have to make an extra pass or whether it be an early shot.
06:58 I think for us, it's just finding the best shot.
06:59 And whenever that is in the shot clock, it's when it's gonna be.
07:02 >> Everybody good?